Nyeri Town Kenya – A Guide to Nyeri Kenya

Nyeri Town Kenya Guide

Nyeri Town Kenya is located in the scenic valley between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare range of mountains with perfect views of the snow-covered peaks of Mount Kenya and the plains of Laikipia. Nyeri Town  Kenya is surrounded by hills and evergreen ranges with rivers and streams Flowing from the mountain to the plains below.

History of Nyeri Town

Established by the British in 1907 in the early days of colonisation, Nyeri Town has many historical ties. It is the epicentre of Kenya’s decolonisation through the Mau Mau struggle for independence led by Field Marshal Dedan Kimathi. Nyeri town has displays of the British colonial presence in Kenya, the Second World War and the genesis of the worldwide Scouting Movement started by Lord Baden-Powell who lived in the town with his wife and whose remains are both buried there. Down the years, Nyeri town has retained its scenic beauty and a serene, homely atmosphere. it is surrounded by three game parks of international reputation – Aberdare, Mount Kenya National Parks and the Solio game reserve and rhino sanctuary.
Nyeri town is situated about 150 km north of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, in the country’s densely populated and fertile Central Highlands, lying between the eastern base of the Aberdare (Nyandarua) Range, which forms part of the eastern end of the Great Rift Valley and the western slopes of Mount Kenya.
The majority of Nyeri Kenya residents are black Africans from Kenya’s largest ethnic group, the Kikuyu tribe. The Kikuyu language is therefore widely spoken, along with Kenya’s national language, Kiswahili as well as Kenya’s official language, English. Black Africans from other Kenyan ethnic groups (most of them being state and private sector employees) make up a small minority, with the rest of the population comprising Kenyans of Asian origin and a small white

Nyeri Kenya: Mount Kenya

The most imposing landmark around Nyeri Kenya is Mount Kenya, and starting from about twenty kilometers out of town is the Mount Kenya National Park. Mount Kenya is an imposing extinct volcano lying strategically astride the Equator. The mountain has two main peaks – Batian (5200m) and Nelion (5188m). It is the highest mountain in the country and the second, after Kilimanjaro, in Africa. It has two main snow covered peaks, Batian and Nelion.
Its slopes are cloaked in forest, bamboo, scrub and moorland giving way on high central peaks to rock, ice and snow. Its U-shaped glacial valleys, rugged snow capped peaks, Afro-alpine desert, thirty lakes and eight different natural forest types and a variety of wildlife species make it a convergence of natural attractions. The wildlife found in the park include giant forest hog, tree hyrax, white tailed mongoose, black leopard, bongo, elephant, black rhino, suni, black fronted duiker, mole-rat and over 130 species of birds.
Activities carried out in the park include game drives, nature walks, mountain climbing, wildlife viewing, camping and cave exploration.

Nyeri Town Climate

Nyeri’s climate is classified as warm and temperate. The is a great deal of rainfall in Nyeri, even in the driest month.The temperature here averages 15.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1263 mm.
The least amount of rainfall occurs in July. The average in this month is 27 mm. The greatest amount of precipitation occurs in April, with an average of 294 mm.

Economic Activities in Nyeri Town

The main economic activities in Nyeri town include tea, coffee, poultry farming, fishing and commercial businesses. Nyeri town residents also take part in dairy farming so as to boost their earnings by selling the dairy products.
Agriculture is the most common economic activity in the town. It is the leading sub sector in terms of employment, food security, income earnings and overall contribution to the socio-economic well being of the people.

People of Nyeri Town

A number of renowned people have hailed from around Nyeri Town:

1. Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize winner, 2004)
2. Mwai Kibaki (Kenya’s current president)
3. Dedan Kimathi (a Mau Mau resistance leader)
4. Catherine Ndereba (Olympic marathon Silver Medalist, world marathon champion, four time Boston Marathon winner and multiple time winner of Chicago and other marathons).

Nyeri Kenya is the burial place of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, a fighter in the Boer War and the founder of the Scouting movement, who once wrote “the nearer to Nyeri the nearer to bliss”. He and his wife are buried in the town cemetery, along with legendary hunter/conservationist Jim Corbett, the author of Maneaters of Kumaon (1944) who also spent his final years in Kenya. Baden-Powell’s Paxtu cottage, now a small museum, stands on the grounds of the Outspan Hotel.

Places to Visit and Things To Do While in Nyeri Town

 Tourists Attractions 

Mount Kenya: Aberdare National Park

About fifteen Kilometers out of town on the opposite side to Mt. Kenya is the Aberdare National Park.
The Aberdares is an older volcanic mountain range with shorter peaks due to longer erosion. It offers views of Mount Kenya and the Great Rift Valley.
Its unusual vegetation, rugged terrain, deep ravines cutting through its forested eastern and western slopes, clear water streams and waterfalls combine to create an area of great scenic beauty.Its major attractions include the Lesatima and Kinangop peaks and many waterfalls, including the magnificent Karuru falls which drop 272 meters, and the Gura Falls which drop 305 meters.
The park is home to many endangered species including the rare bongo, giant forest hog, packs of the now very rare wild dogs, and endemic mole-rat and mole shrew. Other game include a large population of black rhino, leopard servile, endemic bird species, reptiles and insects.
Activities include game drives and nature walks. Both brown and rainbow trout abound in the cool mountain streams and provide excellent angling. Within the Park, the Ark and the Treetops Lodges, which are located next to watering holes, offer close proximity night game viewing. It was at Treetops Lodge that Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) was advised of the passing of her father while on a honeymoon retreat, and her own ascent to the throne. The park is also known for the Kimathi hideouts, the Mau Mau Caves, and the Kimathi “post office” where agents used to drop messages for Mau Mau fighters during the guerrilla wars for Kenyan independence.

Other Must See Tourists Attractions in Nyeri Town

1. Paxtu Museum
2. ltalian Memorial Church
3. Native Court (Ruringu)
4. Treetops Lodge
5. Karuru, Chania, Magura and Zaina falls
6. Kimathi Post Office/Mau Mau Caves
7. Coffee and tea farms.

Night Clubs and Nightlife in Nyeri Town

Coco Jambo
Choices Pub
Carribana
Island Bar and Lounge
Sailors
Psys
Pitcher And Butch
Kengeles
Buffet Park
Guava
Havana Bar & Restaurant
Psys Bar
Sherehez Lounge & Grill
Rafikiz Bar & Lounge
Ozone Lounge
Quins Bar
Volar,club and lounge
SkyLux Lounge

 Accommodation and Hotels in Nyeri Kenya

Nyeri Kenya has a wide choice of hotels, lodges and camps to suit every visitor, ranging from a five – star hotel to guest houses and hostels.

1. Outspan Hotel
2. Greenhills Hotel
3. Batian Grand Hotel
4. Banana Leaf Hotel
5. Ivory Resort
6. Mountain Lodge
7. Treetops Lodge
8. Mpeta Guest House
9. Annbell Guest House
10. Aberdare Country Club
11. Ark Lodge
12. Tusk Camp
13. Fishing Lodge
14. Solio Lodge
15. Rhino Watch
16. White Rhino Hotel
17. Westwood Hotel
18. Eland Safari Hotel
19. Imperial Hotel
20. Ibis Hotel
21. Mountain Palace
22. Tickle Hotel
23. Central Hotel
24. Paresia Hotel
25. Maru A, B, C Hotels
26. Bells Inn Hotel
27. Safari Paradise Guest house
28. Regency Guest House
29. Green Edge Guest house
30. Serene Guest House
    

    Nyeri Town- Map

Nyeri Kenya – Video